All about the cheese

"Times are Tight"

For the last few weeks we have been bombarded with bad news about our country. Eskom's incompetence, the “xenophobic” violence, the petrol price, interest rates etc - all bad news, or so the media would have us believe.

On Sunday night I watched Carte Blanche and, along with thousands of viewers, was shocked and horrified at the fact that people are losing their homes and, thanks to the intervention of the National Credit Regulator, have just enough money to buy food! My heart was gripped by fear. My stomach tied into a knot, and I had a sleepless night. But you see, that is what our media intends to happen. Because when you are ruled by fear, your creativity and individuality are paralysed, and you become a victim - then the media has got more bad news to feed on. It’s in the media’s interests to promote bad news, because bad news sells!

However, what the media does not tell you is that more people have become millionaires during hard times than during good times. More people have made fortunes during hard times than during good times. It all depends on your frame of mind. It's natural to feel threatened by the problems that we are facing, but if you succumb to fear, you are going to become a victim of these problems. However, if you acknowledge these problems, realise that they are an inescapable part of life and start living smarter, you will survive and you will prosper.

In the book “Who Moved my Cheese”, the author tells a simple story of a mouse that used to go to the same place every day to get his piece of cheese. One day the cheese was not there. The mouse panicked and was gripped by fear, and as a result went hungry the next day as well, and the next. He just kept on going back to the same place over and over, only to find that there was no more cheese. Then another mouse told him that there was cheese at another place, but he wouldn’t believe it. So he continued to go hungry.

Our cheese in South Africa is busy moving, and if you don’t move with it and look for new cheese, you will go hungry. You need to keep looking for better, smarter and more creative ways to achieve better results. Only those people that do this will prosper during these challenging times. Burying your head in the sand and talking about bad times with friends and colleagues will achieve nothing. Only smart, creative and consistent action will see you through.

When you talk about something and when it occupies your mind, you give it life. So occupy your mind with the excitement of being a different you, and through that, achieving a successful life.